Chain of Command…What to buy?

[limburger 21704xp 0]

@cromlech the Warlord Starter sets are very much geared towards Bolt-Action and they all follow pretty much the same style (a few squads of infantry, support weapons, vehicles/transport and a HQ section).
The infantry usually has a ton of options, so chances are good that you can build what is needed for CoC as well.

I would suggest starting with one starter army before you go off the deep end and buy extra (or one of those mega sets like the Berlin box).

IIRC most 1000 pt starter sets come with the Bolt-action rules as well, which means you can test both games if you want to.

[cromlechParticipant 63xp 1]

Thanks limburger!

So a 500-1000p starter from BA should get me a decent head-start, and allow me to compare the rules. Good point there!

I’ll try that…basic first, and then venture  further if I find what I like.

I’ll return once I’ve made up my mind, so you lot can see what I’ve decided…

Thanks again for the replies…new to this, and you’re being very helpfull!

[khusrauParticipant 1169xp 0]

Don’t forget, there are a ton of good 28mm WW2 figures out there. Artizan, Crusader, Empress, Foundry, etc. Warlord does some nice ranges, but there are plenty more.

[limburger 21704xp 0]

@khusrau May ’40 miniatures are another option ( https://www.may40miniatures.com/ )
The thing is that you do need to check scale if you’re mixing various ranges. It doesn’t always play nice, because no one can ever agree on what the actual scale is.

@cromlech the best thing about historicals is that you can usually switch rulesets without worrying too much.
You can even try Battlegroup-series if you want to. Non-combat support are a thing in Battlegroup wheras Bolt-action  tends to focus on the soldiers themselves.

I’m not sure what Chain of command is like (yet), but I will know once my German & Dutch troops arrive from the May ’40 kickstarter.

 

[khusrauParticipant 1169xp 0]

It’s a matter of personal preference, I’ve heard good things about battle group, and BA can be a lot of fun. But for the way I get personally invested and decision making. CoC is my choice,

[cromlechParticipant 63xp 1]

For starters, I’ve looked at a lot of reviews and Let’s Plays of both CoC and BA, and they both have ups and downs – I really like the deployment rules and Command Dice in CoC – very chaotic and very tense – but still a lot of strategy and tactics for players to stand their ground with.

Random activation through order-dice in BA is also a very cool idea – bigger names like Warhammer and 40K has always been very clunky and slow-paced for my tastes; IGYG? Not for me, I’m afraid – hence my liking these two particular systems.

But, as limburger states, it’s not the biggest of problems to use multiple rule-sets should the mood dictate a different system from time to time.

Thanks for all your tips and info, peeps…it has helped a lot.

—000—

So, I’ve zoomed in on these bits of kit to start my journey:

Germany:

1000pts Blitzkrieg German Army
1000pts Blitzkrieg German Army

Panzer II Ausf.

Panzer II Ausf. A/B/C

Soviet:

999pts Soviet Starter Army
Soviet Starter Army

T34/76 Medium Tank
T34/76 Medium Tank

The added tanks is just for a bit more support and oomph, as it were.

Should give me the stuff for a healthy start, I think.

Again, thanks for the input already given…and do share any thoughts on my initial decision; you’ve been more than helpful and I haven’t ordered quite yet…getting close though 🙂

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

Just take another look at the AB miniatures website again (it’s 20mm), costs about the same as buying those 28mm plastics from Warlord…but they are SOOOOOO much better.

When playing a skirmish level game in WW2 (like Chain of Command), then tanks are a minor worry as you should only be using one or two of them (or ideally armoured cars or APCs instead). BUT the ranges on those tank guns should be basically across the table for medium range (Warlord artificially truncated the ranges so you could fit MOAR tanks on the table in Bolt action). But even with Chain of Command the ranges are artificially truncated for 28mm figures. Ideally the smaller the figures, then the better the game will look (keeping those 28mm ranges in the rules). I’ve even seen 6mm figures used for Chain of Command games (Adler do a fine range in 6mm) while keeping the 28mm ranges (you just base multiple figures on a 2 pence piece) and it looks epic (and the tanks now start to look “right” on the table).

Warlord is easy to find and buy, but those AB figures (if in the UK you’re better off buying them from the Eureka UK site as it’s not silly postage from the AB site) are just the best figures you’ll find in ANY scale and well worth the wait for them to arrive in the post (rather than a few days if buying the Warlord minis). 20mm is also handy as you’ll have access to more vehicles and companies producing kits in plastic, resin and metal than Warlord could ever hope to produce.

On starting out in WW2 it’s pretty hard to do armies that cover everything across all theatres and throughout the whole war (as nearly every army changes uniforms and equipment during the war). So you’re probably best in just finding the one theatre and campaign to start out. Mid war is probably the best period to start out in as you’ve haven’t got the “silly” late war stuff arriving, and the equipment is mostly  comparable (perhaps the Allied push up through Italy?), and for on the Eastern Front again mid war is probably your best bet.

Early War (battle for France etc) has the British in a slightly different uniform (same with the Germans), and the French troops well don’t appear again in that uniform (instead it’s Free French in British and later US equipment) again. Plus all the tanks and tankettes go out of service by 1942.

So even if you don’t feel that the AB figures are AWESOME, the best thing to do is try and sort out what theatre and year you want to start out with and just build up two side to begin with (there’s SOO much out there).

[collins 16358xp 0]

when I play CoC I play with warlord 28mm and it scratches that itch perfectly for me.

If you want to have a British infantry force with loads of options PM me (including Bren carriers and tanks etc) as im looking to shift mine so I can start a fresh force myself.

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